Sonoporation: Mechanistic Insights and Ongoing Challenges for Gene Transfer Anthony Delalande, Spiros Kotopoulis, Michiel Postema, Patrick Midoux, Chantal Pichon

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Sonoporation: Mechanistic Insights and Ongoing Challenges for Gene Transfer Anthony Delalande, Spiros Kotopoulis, Michiel Postema, Patrick Midoux, Chantal Pichon Sonoporation: mechanistic insights and ongoing challenges for gene transfer Anthony Delalande, Spiros Kotopoulis, Michiel Postema, Patrick Midoux, Chantal Pichon To cite this version: Anthony Delalande, Spiros Kotopoulis, Michiel Postema, Patrick Midoux, Chantal Pichon. Sonopo- ration: mechanistic insights and ongoing challenges for gene transfer. Gene, Elsevier, 2013, 525 (2), pp.191-199. 10.1016/j.gene.2013.03.095. hal-03195625 HAL Id: hal-03195625 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03195625 Submitted on 11 Apr 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Sonoporation: mechanistic insights and ongoing challenges for gene transfer Anthony Delalande1, Spiros Kotopoulis2, Michiel Postema2, Patrick Midoux1, Chantal Pichon1* 1. Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France. 2. Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. * Corresponding author: [email protected] telephone: +33 238255595 fax: +33 238631517 Abstract Microbubbles first developed as ultrasound contrast agents have been used to assist ultrasound for cellular drugs and gene delivery. Their oscillation behavior during ultrasound exposure leads to transient membrane permeability of surrounding cells, facilitating targeted local delivery. The increased cell uptake of extracellular compounds by ultrasound in the presence of microbubbles is attributed to a phenomenon called sonoporation. In this review, we summarize current state of the art concerning microbubble-cell interactions and cellular effects leading to sonoporation and its application for gene delivery. Optimization of sonoporation protocol and composition of microbubbles for gene delivery are discussed. We also outline ongoing challenges for clinical applications. Key words: ultrasound; microbubbles; physical gene delivery method; gene therapy 1 2 1. Introduction The principle of gene therapy is to introduce gene or nucleic acids into cells to cure genetic deficiencies. The success of gene therapy obtained with the use of viral vectors demonstrates unambiguously the feasibility of this innovative therapy [1-3]. To date, viral vectors remain the best vehicles to introduce genes into cells. Nevertheless, there are still drawbacks inherent to the use of viral molecule observed in gene therapy clinical trials raising serious safety concerns [4, 5]. In addition, size limitation capacity, cell targeting and manufacturing issues are still difficult to handle despite tremendous progresses made on viral vector bioengineering. Therefore, there is still some room for the development of alternative approaches of high safety, low immunogenicity and easy manufacture. This last decade, many efforts have been done to search for non-viral options. The goal is to design synthetic gene delivery systems that incorporate viral-like features to transfect efficiently cells [6-8]. Among non-viral systems, chemical vectors are the most widely used. These vectors have to face on several extracellular and cellular barriers to reach efficiently the target cells. One of the main challenges is the lack of selectivity towards target tissues explaining their narrow therapeutic index. Lack of specificity causes high toxicity which hampers the efficacy at the target site. For that, designing an efficient targeted delivery strategy is of importance to further improve the delivery systems while reducing side effects. To target chemical vectors, it is possible to couple them with ligands specific to receptors present at the cellular surface of target cells. A second option is to use an externally applied trigger to control the gene delivery in the targeted area. These two strategies are not mutually exclusive and could be combined. Physical trigger can be used either alone or combined with chemical or viral vectors to improve the targeting and/or gene expression efficiency. There are several physical methods 3 starting from hydrodynamic injection to more sophisticated systems such as electroporation-based on electric fields or ultrasound-mediated delivery. 2. Ultrasound as physical method for delivery Ultrasound can be used for imaging (ultrasonography) and for physical therapy (pulsed ultrasound mode) [9, 10]. These last years, therapeutic applications of ultrasound have gained new interests as a result of its exploitation for drug or gene delivery. Depending on the energy delivered by ultrasound, two types of effects can be produced either thermal or non-thermal each of them having their own application. High ultrasound intensities produce heating due to the absorption of acoustic energy by tissues; this property is employed in high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) surgery or ultrasound-based physiotherapy. "World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology Temperature" has stated that an elevation of 1.5°C is considered safe while an elevation of 4-5°C during 5 minutes could be dangerous [11]. At low ultrasound intensities, cavitation and mechanical streaming are the main non-thermal effects obtained. These effects can induce some benefits as tissue healing or ultrasound-mediated delivery. Inertial cavitation is the process of formation, oscillation and collapse of gaseous bubbles driven by an acoustic field [24]. The presence of preformed microbubbles in the environment allows reducing the threshold of energy needed for cavitation. Used as external trigger, ultrasound permits to spatiotemporally control the release of drug encapsulated in microbubbles or in their surrounding in a non-invasive manner [12-18]. 4 3. Microbubbles and sonoporation Microbubbles are gas-filled particles consisting of a gas core encapsulated by a stabilizing shell. They have been first developed as ultrasound contrast agents to differentiate blood and their surroundings under ultrasound due to their low acoustic impedance difference. When microbubbles are driven by ultrasound at a frequency close to their resonance frequency, they oscillate and produce sound [19, 20]. These oscillations lead to an increased permeability of surrounding cells allowing a targeted local drug delivery. The increased cellular uptake has been attributed to the formation of transient pores in the cell membrane facilitating trans-membrane transport of drugs into the cell [21-24]. This transient permeabilization of a cell membrane is called sonoporation. 3.1. Microbubble-cell interactions Microbubble interactions with cells under ultrasound are the key step for the sonoporation process. To date, five types of interactions have been described (Figure 1). Microbubble oscillations near a plasma membrane could leading to a cell “massage”, the “push and pull” phenomena [25, 26] and microbubble jetting through the plasma membrane [27]. This latter is less likely to be the dominant mechanism as shown by in silico studies, in vitro by high-speed optical observations, and in cellulo experiments [28]. A microbubble attached to a cell membrane, could also create enough shear to rupture the membrane due to the fluid streaming around the oscillating bubbles. Recently, we have observed a new event: a penetration of microbubble into a cell during sonoporation process under a specific ultrasound setting [29]. The tracking of fluorescent-labeled microbubbles inside cells after sonoporation has proved this phenomenon. Figure 2 shows two microbubbles (black circle) entering into a cell during ultrasound stimulation, one microbubble was pushed 5 toward the cell deforming the plasma membrane before its cellular penetration. While entering, the microbubble underwent shrinking. This phenomenon took place 6.2 seconds after ultrasound stimulation and 850 ms later, microbubble penetrated inside the cell. This event is slow, compared to the other phenomena described above. Indeed, jetting occurs in the millisecond time scale. Fluorescent microbubbles were observed inside the cells after sonoporation proving their penetration (figure 2C, black arrows). However, it is hard to state if the microbubble has only fused with the plasma membrane or if the structure of the microbubble was preserved after entry. Nevertheless, these results reinforce the strategy on using microbubbles as drug or gene carriers. We have also tracked the early interactions between cells and microbubbles at the beginning of the ultrasound stimulation [29]. In this study, we have used several phospholipid-based microbubbles (SonoVue®, MicromarkerTM, Definity®). Before ultrasound stimulation, microbubbles were randomly distributed all around cells. When ultrasound was turned on, microbubbles immediately interacted with each other forming small clusters (Figure 3) as described by Kotopoulis et al. [30]. These clusters could be observed approximately 15 ms after ultrasound application. Interestingly, every cluster present in the field seemed to be attracted to cells and was found at the vicinity of their plasma membrane several seconds after ultrasound stimulation independently of the ultrasound field direction. It is worth noticing that we did not observe such behavior for hard-shelled
Recommended publications
  • Acoustofluidic Sonoporation for Gene Delivery to Human Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
    Acoustofluidic sonoporation for gene delivery to human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells Jason N. Bellinga,b, Liv K. Heidenreicha,b, Zhenhua Tianc,d, Alexandra M. Mendozaa,b, Tzu-Ting Chioue,f, Yao Gonga,b, Natalie Y. Cheng,h, Thomas D. Younga,b, Natcha Wattanatorna,b, Jae Hyeon Parka,b, Leonardo Scarabellia,b, Naihao Chianga,b, Jack Takahashia,b, Stephen G. Youngg, Adam Z. Stiega, Satiro De Oliveirae,f, Tony Jun Huangc, Paul S. Weissa,b,i,1, and Steven J. Jonasa,e,f,j,1 aCalifornia NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; bDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; cDepartment of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27707; dDepartment of Aerospace Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762; eDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; fChildren’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; gDepartment of Medicine and the Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; hDepartment of Human Genetics and the Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; iDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; and jEli & Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Edited by Jennifer A. Doudna, University of California, Berkeley, CA, and approved March 30, 2020 (received for review October 3, 2019) Advances in gene editing are leading to new medical interventions Nonviral ex vivo transfection strategies have been employed in where patients’ own cells are used for stem cell therapies and both commercial and research settings to circumvent the limi- immunotherapies.
    [Show full text]
  • Study of Single Cell Sonoporation in Real Time
    STUDY OF SINGLE CELL SONOPORATION IN REAL TIME USING ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY TECHNIQUES by Yun Zhou Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Adviser: Prof. Cheri X. Deng Department of Biomedical Engineering CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY May 2008 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of _____________________________________________________ candidate for the ______________________degree *. (signed)_______________________________________________ (chair of the committee) ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ (date) _______________________ *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. Dedicated to my parents and my wife for their love, support and patience Table of Content Table of Content .................................................................................................................1 List of Tables ......................................................................................................................5 List of Figures .....................................................................................................................6 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................9
    [Show full text]
  • Sonoporation: Mechanical DNA Delivery by Ultrasonic Cavitation
    P1: FDM PP717-scam-457016 DNA.cls February 18, 2003 15:59 Char Count= 0 Somatic Cell and Molecular Genetics, Vol. 27, Nos.1/6, November 2002 ( C 2002) Sonoporation: Mechanical DNA Delivery by Ultrasonic Cavitation Douglas L. Miller,1 Sorin V. Pislaru,2 and James F. Greenleaf 2 1Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, 3315 Kresge III, 200 Zina Pitchter Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0553 2Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota Abstract evelopment of nonviral gene transfer methods would be a valuable addition to the gene- therapy armamentarium, particularly for localized targeting of specific tissue volumes. Ul- Dtrasound can produce a variety of nonthermal bioeffects via acoustic cavitation including DNA delivery. Cavitation bubbles may induce cell death or transient membrane permeabilization (sonoporation) on a single cell level, as well as microvascular hemorrhage and disruption of tissue structure. Application of sonoporation for gene delivery to cells requires control of cavitation activity. Many studies have been performed using in vitro exposure systems, for which cavitation is virtu- ally ubiquitous. In vivo, cavitation initiation and control is more difficult, but can be enhanced by cavitation nucleation agents, such as an ultrasound contrast agent. Sonoporation and ultrasonically enhanced gene delivery has been reported for a wide range of conditions including low frequency sonication (kilohertz frequencies), lithotripter shockwaves, HIFU, and even diagnostic ultrasound (megahertz frequencies). In vitro, a variety of cell lines has been successfully transfected, with con- comitant cell killing. In vivo, initial applications have been to cancer gene therapy, for which cell killing can be a useful simultaneous treatment, and to cardiovascular disease.
    [Show full text]
  • Low-Frequency Ultrasound-Mediated Cytokine Transfection Enhances T Cell Recruitment at Local and Distant Tumor Sites
    Low-frequency ultrasound-mediated cytokine transfection enhances T cell recruitment at local and distant tumor sites Tali Ilovitsha,b,c, Yi Fenga,b,d, Josquin Foireta,b, Azadeh Kheirolomooma,b,c, Hua Zhanga,b,c, Elizabeth S. Inghamc, Asaf Ilovitsha,b,c, Spencer K. Tumbalea,b, Brett Z. Fitea,b,BoWua,b, Marina N. Raiea,b, Nisi Zhanga,b, Aris J. Karea,b,e, Michael Chaveze, Lei S. Qie, Gadi Pelledf,g, Dan Gazitf,g, Ophir Vermesha,b, Idan Steinberga,b, Sanjiv S. Gambhira,b, and Katherine W. Ferraraa,b,1 aMolecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; bDepartment of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; cDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616; dDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, People’s Republic of China; eDepartment of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; fDepartment of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048; and gBoard of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048 Edited by Rakesh K. Jain, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, and approved April 3, 2020 (received for review August 28, 2019) Robust cytotoxic T cell infiltration has proven to be difficult to expression patterns, or replace a malfunctioning gene (7). Gene achieve in solid tumors. We set out to develop a flexible protocol therapy is now enhancing survival (8), and over 2,600 gene to efficiently transfect tumor and stromal cells to produce immune- therapy clinical trials have been completed, are ongoing, or have activating cytokines, and thus enhance T cell infiltration while been approved worldwide (9).
    [Show full text]
  • Non-Viral in Vitro Gene Delivery: It Is Now Time to Set the Bar!
    pharmaceutics Review Non-Viral in Vitro Gene Delivery: It is Now Time to Set the Bar! 1, 1,2, 2 1, Nina Bono y , Federica Ponti y, Diego Mantovani and Gabriele Candiani * 1 GenT Lab, Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, 20131 Milan, Italy; [email protected] (N.B.); [email protected] (F.P.) 2 Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Canada Research Chair I in Biomaterials and Bioengineering for the Innovation in Surgery, Department of Min-Met-Materials Engineering & Research Center of CHU de Quebec, Division of Regenerative Medicine, Laval University, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-02-2399-3181 These authors equally contributed to this work. y Received: 3 February 2020; Accepted: 19 February 2020; Published: 21 February 2020 Abstract: Transfection by means of non-viral gene delivery vectors is the cornerstone of modern gene delivery. Despite the resources poured into the development of ever more effective transfectants, improvement is still slow and limited. Of note, the performance of any gene delivery vector in vitro is strictly dependent on several experimental conditions specific to each laboratory. The lack of standard tests has thus largely contributed to the flood of inconsistent data underpinning the reproducibility crisis. A way researchers seek to address this issue is by gauging the effectiveness of newly synthesized gene delivery vectors with respect to benchmarks of seemingly well-known behavior. However, the performance of such reference molecules is also affected by the testing conditions. This survey points to non-standardized transfection settings and limited information on variables deemed relevant in this context as the major cause of such misalignments.
    [Show full text]
  • Acoustofluidic Sonoporation for Gene Delivery to Human Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
    Acoustofluidic sonoporation for gene delivery to human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells Jason N. Bellinga,b, Liv K. Heidenreicha,b, Zhenhua Tianc,d, Alexandra M. Mendozaa,b, Tzu-Ting Chioue,f, Yao Gonga,b, Natalie Y. Cheng,h, Thomas D. Younga,b, Natcha Wattanatorna,b, Jae Hyeon Parka,b, Leonardo Scarabellia,b, Naihao Chianga,b, Jack Takahashia,b, Stephen G. Youngg, Adam Z. Stiega, Satiro De Oliveirae,f, Tony Jun Huangc, Paul S. Weissa,b,i,1, and Steven J. Jonasa,e,f,j,1 aCalifornia NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; bDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; cDepartment of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27707; dDepartment of Aerospace Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762; eDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; fChildren’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; gDepartment of Medicine and the Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; hDepartment of Human Genetics and the Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; iDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; and jEli & Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Edited by Jennifer A. Doudna, University of California, Berkeley, CA, and approved March 30, 2020 (received for review October 3, 2019) Advances in gene editing are leading to new medical interventions Nonviral ex vivo transfection strategies have been employed in where patients’ own cells are used for stem cell therapies and both commercial and research settings to circumvent the limi- immunotherapies.
    [Show full text]
  • Sudden Cell Death Induced by Ca2+ Delivery Via Microbubble Cavitation
    biomedicines Article Sudden Cell Death Induced by Ca2+ Delivery via Microbubble Cavitation Martynas Maciuleviˇcius* , Diana Navickaite,˙ Sonam Chopra , Baltramiejus Jakštys and Saulius Šatkauskas * Biophysical Research Group, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Vileikos st. 8, LT-44404 Kaunas, Lithuania; [email protected] (D.N.); [email protected] (S.C.); [email protected] (B.J.) * Correspondence: [email protected] (M.M.); [email protected] (S.Š.) Abstract: Intracellular calcium ion delivery via sonoporation has been validated to be a substitute for classical chemotherapy. However, the mechanism behind calcium sonoporation remains unclear to this day. To elucidate the role of calcium in the process of sonoporation, we aimed to investigate the influence of different calcium concentration on cell membrane permeabilization and cell viability after sonoporation. In this study, we present experimental evidence that extracellular calcium plays a major role in cell membrane molecular transport after applying ultrasound pulses. Ultrasound- microbubble cavitation in the presence of different calcium concentration affects fundamental cell bio-physio-chemical conditions: cell membrane integrity, metabolic activity, and colony formation. Corresponding vital characteristics were evaluated using three independent viability tests: propidium iodide assay (20 min–3 h), MTT assay (48 h), and cell clonogenic assay (6 d). The results indicate instant cell death, as the level of cell viability was determined to be similar within a 20 min–48 h–6 d period. Inertial cavitation activities have been determined to be directly involved in calcium delivery via sonoporation according to high correlation (R2 > 0.85, p < 0.01) of inertial cavitation dose with change in either cell membrane permeabilization, metabolic activity, and colony formation efficiency.
    [Show full text]
  • Sonoporation: Underlying Mechanisms and Applications in Cellular Regulation
    Mini Review Sonoporation: Underlying Mechanisms and Applications in Cellular Regulation Yue Li1, Zhiyi Chen1,* and Shuping Ge2,* Abstract 1First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Ultrasound combined with microbubble-mediated sonoporation has been applied to enhance drug or gene intracellular delivery. Sonoporation leads to the formation of openings in the cell membrane, triggered by Hengyang, China ultrasound-mediated oscillations and destruction of microbubbles. Multiple mechanisms are involved in 2 the occurrence of sonoporation, including ultrasonic parameters, microbubbles size, and the distance of Department of Pediatrics, microbubbles to cells. Recent advances are beginning to extend applications through the assistance of contrast St Christopher’s Hospital agents, which allow ultrasound to connect directly to cellular functions such as gene expression, cellular for Children, Tower Health apoptosis, differentiation, and even epigenetic reprogramming. In this review, we summarize the current state and Drexel University, of the art concerning microbubble–cell interactions and sonoporation effects leading to cellular functions. Philadelphia, PA (S.G.) Keywords Microbubble, multidisciplinary, reprogramming, sonoporation, ultrasound. *Correspondence to: Zhiyi Chen E-mail: [email protected]; Shuping Ge, Introduction after ultrasound exposure, which is called E-mail: Shuping.Ge@ sonoporation [22]. The capture of the phe- towerhealth.org nomenon of sonopores for the first time on Ultrasound is widely used in clinical prac- the cell membrane by a scanning electron Received: August 14 2020 tice due to its advantages of being non-in- micrograph in 1999 has aroused people’s Revised: September 5 2020 vasive, non-radioactive, convenient, and wide concern [23]. Improvement of cell Accepted: September 10 2020 cost-effective [1–5].
    [Show full text]
  • Upregulation of ULK1 Expression in PC‑3 Cells Following Tumor Protein P53 Transfection by Sonoporation
    ONCOLOGY LETTERS 11: 699-704, 2016 Upregulation of ULK1 expression in PC‑3 cells following tumor protein P53 transfection by sonoporation YU WANG, YI-NI CHEN, WEI ZHANG, YU YANG, WEN-KUN BAI, E SHEN and BING HU Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China Received December 18, 2014; Accepted August 7, 2015 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2015.3946 Abstract. The aim of the present study was to investigate PCa is androgen-dependent, and may be treated effectively whether ultrasound combined with microbubbles was able to using androgen ablation therapy, radiation and/or surgery. enhance liposome-mediated transfection of genes into human Although these treatments have largely been observed to be prostate cancer cells, and to examine the association between successful, there are associated disadvantages, including autophagy and tumor protein P53 (P53). An MTT assay was surgical injuries, drug resistance and tumor recurrence (1-3). used to evaluate cell viability, while flow cytometry and In addition, all patients with PCa eventually progress to an fluorescence microscopy were used to measure gene transfec- androgen-independent state, known as castration-resistant tion efficiency. Autophagy was observed using transmission prostate cancer (CRPC), which may lead to tumor metastasis electron microscopy. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain or patient mortality (4). At present, there are no effective reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis were used to treatment options available for CRPC (5). Therefore, the devel- assess the expression of autophagy-associated genes. The opment of novel therapeutic strategies is critical (6).
    [Show full text]
  • Sonodelivery in Skeletal Muscle: Current Approaches and Future Potential
    bioengineering Review Sonodelivery in Skeletal Muscle: Current Approaches and Future Potential Richard E. Decker 1 , Zachary E. Lamantia 1, Todd S. Emrick 2 and Marxa L. Figueiredo 1,* 1 Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, 625 Harrison St., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; [email protected] (R.E.D.); [email protected] (Z.E.L.) 2 Department of Polymer Science & Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: mlfi[email protected]; Tel.: +1-765-494-5790 Received: 17 July 2020; Accepted: 4 September 2020; Published: 9 September 2020 Abstract: There are currently multiple approaches to facilitate gene therapy via intramuscular gene delivery, such as electroporation, viral delivery, or direct DNA injection with or without polymeric carriers. Each of these methods has benefits, but each method also has shortcomings preventing it from being established as the ideal technique. A promising method, ultrasound-mediated gene delivery (or sonodelivery) is inexpensive, widely available, reusable, minimally invasive, and safe. Hurdles to utilizing sonodelivery include choosing from a large variety of conditions, which are often dependent on the equipment and/or research group, and moderate transfection efficiencies when compared to some other gene delivery methods. In this review, we provide a comprehensive look at the breadth of sonodelivery techniques for intramuscular gene delivery and suggest future directions for this continuously evolving field. Keywords: sonoporation; sonodelivery; ultrasound; intramuscular gene delivery; gene therapy 1. Introduction Gene therapy shows increasing promise for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, from cancer to musculoskeletal and immunological disorders [1].
    [Show full text]
  • Ultrasound-Mediated DNA Transformation in Thermophilic Gram-Positive Anaerobes
    Ultrasound-Mediated DNA Transformation in Thermophilic Gram-Positive Anaerobes Lu Lin1., Houhui Song1., Yuetong Ji1, Zhili He2, Yunting Pu1, Jizhong Zhou2*,JianXu1* 1 Qingdao Institute of BioEnergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong, China, 2 Institute For Environmental Genomics, Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America Abstract Background: Thermophilic, Gram-positive, anaerobic bacteria (TGPAs) are generally recalcitrant to chemical and electrotransformation due to their special cell-wall structure and the low intrinsic permeability of plasma membranes. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we established for any Gram-positive or thermophiles an ultrasound-based sonoporation as a simple, rapid, and minimally invasive method to genetically transform TGPAs. We showed that by applying a 40 kHz ultrasound frequency over a 20-second exposure, Texas red-conjugated dextran was delivered with 27% efficiency into Thermoanaerobacter sp. X514, a TGPA that can utilize both pentose and hexose for ethanol production. Experiments that delivered plasmids showed that host-cell viability and plasmid DNA integrity were not compromised. Via sonoporation, shuttle vectors pHL015 harboring a jellyfish gfp gene and pIKM2 encoding a Clostridium thermocellum b-1,4- glucanase gene were delivered into X514 with an efficiency of 66102 transformants/mg of methylated DNA. Delivery into X514 cells was confirmed via detecting the kanamycin-resistance gene for pIKM2, while confirmation of pHL015 was detected by visualization of fluorescence signals of secondary host-cells following a plasmid-rescue experiment. Furthermore, the foreign b-1,4-glucanase gene was functionally expressed in X514, converting the host into a prototypic thermophilic consolidated bioprocessing organism that is not only ethanologenic but cellulolytic.
    [Show full text]
  • Sonoporation and Impedance Spectroscopy for the Assistance with and Observation of Development of Healthier Embryos and Fetuses
    Sonoporation and Impedance Spectroscopy for the Assistance with and Observation of Development of Healthier Embryos and Fetuses A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN Electrical Engineering August 2017 by Kainalu Matthews Thesis Committee: Aaron Ohta, Chairperson Johann Urschitz Wayne Shiroma Keywords: Sonoporation, Impedance spectroscopy, Artemia, Placenta, Gene delivery, Ultrasound Acknowledgements In this section I will betray the third person rule as a colleague of mine did previously. In reality I have no one to thank since I did this all by myself, just kidding...To say that that this thesis has been difficult would be a massive understatement, and quite frankly this journey began before I was admitted to the Masters program here at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). There is too many people to thank for the achievements that I have accomplished in my academic life thus far, but I will try my best to thank everyone as best I can. Mr. Darren Kamalu, the crazy physics teacher in high school who introduced us to the world of conspiracy theories, thank you so much for also teaching us about Nikola Tesla (I guess the math and physics were important too). I will never forget about “jaggies”. Dr. Joshua Kaakua, Dr. Herb Schroeder, Dr. Bubba Lipe, and Kelli Ching, the staff at the Native Hawaiian Mentorship Program (NHSEMP) and the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Mentorship Program (ANSEP), as well as all my lifelong firends in these programs (too much to list here), thank you all so much for teaching me that there is no shame in asking for help.
    [Show full text]